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Baker familiar with traditional twin bills

Baker familiar with traditional twin bills

SAN FRANCISCO -- Although Tuesday's traditional doubleheader between the Reds and Giants is a rarity in today's game, it was a much more frequent occurrence when Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker played.

"I wouldn't take a shower between games," said Baker, who added that he didn't change uniforms during the 30 minutes between contests.

On Tuesday, however, he will be required to, as the Reds will switch from their road uniforms to home ones between Games 1 and 2 as a makeup for the July 4 rainout. According to Rule 4.13(f), the rescheduled game is the second game and the Reds will be the home team for that one. Statistically, both games are home games for the Giants pursuant to Rule 2.00.

"This is old school," Baker said. "You don't see doubleheaders with 30 minutes in between anymore.

"The only thing I miss is they gave you more off-days during the course of the season. I don't like split doubleheaders, which were outlawed then."

The split doubleheader, the much more frequent version today, includes separate attendance for each game and spaces out the day more for players and managers.

"It's like going to work in the morning, going home to take a nap and going to work for the night shift," Baker said. "You'd rather just keep going."

Baker said it is a relief that the game will be played under cooler temperatures in San Francisco than the typical hot summer days he said he has experienced managing in Cincinnati or playing in Atlanta.

"Those knock you out," Baker said. "This is a big advantage here."

Andrew Owens is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @OwensAndrew. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.